A night in Konoha village is just like any other night. The moon shone brightly among the many stars surrounding it. Hikaru lay on top of the Fourth Hokage Rock, enjoying the village's lively night atmosphere and the serene stars.
Ever since he mastered the tree-climbing exercise, he has visited this spot more frequently to clear his mind. From this location, he could enjoy the scenery and have a clear view of the entire Konohagakure (Village Hidden in the Leaves).
Many large clan compounds in the village, along with the Konoha hospital, library, market, and many other important places, occupied the center section close to the academy and the government building. Civilians, like himself and others, could only live on the outskirts of town.
Numerous tall buildings, ranging in height from two to three stories, surrounded a multitude of other buildings, and trees could be seen everywhere in the village.
There were five main streets that extended outward from the Hokage residence near the academy, with many other small ones cutting through the buildings, making the city plan look similar to a slice of pizza from his view, but in an orderly manner.
Recently, his relationship with his very first friend in this world has deteriorated. It's been roughly a week since he trained alone, without Kajiwara Ryōta. The boy decided to train alone and prepare for the year-end exam.
As for the reason, Ryōta wanted to prove he was capable enough to pass the test to graduate early and that Hikaru's decision to deny the opportunity to graduate was a mistake.
The desire to become stronger was very much present in his traits and character. This was something Hikaru was not quite used to. His reason was too childish for him, but for his age, it seems to make sense.
Ryōta had indeed become a lot stronger over the past six months due to Hikaru's help and guidance, but he was getting too far ahead of himself, in Hikaru's opinion. He was too eager for quick success without building a sturdy foundation.
Hikaru could only sigh in his heart; he couldn't deny his disappointment in the boy's decision, but he remained silent and respected the boy's choice. He had already expressed all the necessary points; it was now up to Ryōta to decide whether or not to heed his advice.
After staying for almost the entire night, it wasn't until the lights in some of the buildings in the village started to turn off that Hikaru realized it was getting late. He got up and decided to head home.
His expression displayed a bit of concern as he thought of his sister, who was presumably still waiting for him, and said, "I hope I don't get yelled at for coming back late." He stretched his body for a few seconds before leaping off Hokage Rock, into the buildings, and all the way home.
As soon as Hikaru arrived at his house and saw that the light was still on, he knew immediately that he was in trouble. He began to slow down his pace, walking slowly and rubbing his neck.
As Hikaru took his first step inside his house, a small, delicate fist suddenly struck his head with fury. Hikaru knew right away who was attacking him, and he did not try to avoid it.
"Ouch!" Hikaru exclaimed as he rubbed his head, trying to massage it.
"That's for coming back late, Hikaru-kun." As she gazed tensely at her little brother, Ayako spoke furiously. "You are always making me worried."
"Sorry, Onee-chan," Hikaru replied weakly.
Seeing her brother feeling down lately, Ayako couldn't help but lower her voice and show concern. "Have you talked with Ryōta-kun yet?"
Hikaru shook his head in response, denying any contact with his friend.
"It's already late; get some sleep." Ayako spoke quietly as she gazed at her worried brother.
Hikaru smiled and said, "Thanks."
Ayako could only sigh in her heart and watch over her brother as he walked toward his room. She didn't know what had happened between the two. Ryōta hadn't come to visit their stall as usual either.
The next morning, Hikaru still woke up at the same time as usual. He served himself a small breakfast before heading out for a run around the village in the morning. After completing the target, he headed to the Third Training Ground, the new training site.
The Third Hokage had previously used this location to instruct Konoha's three Sannin.
This change was due to the presence of water on the training ground; a small river flowed through the middle of the area, making it an ideal location for the next step of his advanced chakra control training plan, known as Water Surface Walking Practice.
Of all his skills, Hikaru was most proud of his chakra control. Due to his effective meditation training, his chakra control also benefited from his high level of concentration.
The degree of difficulty of the last advanced chakra control exercise was a lot higher than the previous two. Normally, when you channel chakra on the leaf or into the foot while standing on a tree, the area's surface remains smooth and consistent.
However, when you step on water, especially moving water, the variables change. The water surface is always in constant motion, requiring you to utilize different amounts of energy to maintain the chakra in your foot and stay above the water.
As he approached the training ground, he noticed a large number of people present. As a result, he decided to forego his meditation training and instead focus on his advanced chakra control exercise.
Hikaru stood in front of a small river, took a deep breath, and concentrated, channeling a constant stream of chakra into his foot, similar to his tree-climbing practice. Once he felt comfortable enough, he jumped about five meters into the river.
Splash!
He didn't make it on his first try.
"This is harder than I thought," Hikaru murmured, feeling embarrassed as he tried to get back to the shore.
"I should have taken my clothes off; now they're all wet." Despite feeling somewhat foolish, Hikaru still removed his clothes, hung them on three nearby trees to dry, and walked back to the river.
Hikaru lifted his chin as he took a moment to contemplate, "What did I do wrong?"
He had already accounted for the variable change in the water surface, but the outcome was still not satisfactory.
'Chakra amount? Maybe I used too much or too little.' Hikaru, trying to pinpoint the cause and devise a solution in his mind, said, 'I should try to start with a small amount and increase it little by little until I can stand on the water.'
Hikaru then checked his chakra reserve to calculate approximately how long he could practice before lunchtime.
His chakra reserve, in fact, was still a long way from matching a normal Genin. He had already attempted to sense several of them and cross-check with his own, discovering that his chakra reserve was only roughly half of the Genin level.
Hikaru would be asking for death if he took the chance to graduate early with only this amount of chakra reserved in his body.
The only good thing about his low chakra reserve was that it was one of the reasons he was able to progress in chakra control more easily.
After completing the check, he resumed training until the evening, then took a break after many unsuccessful attempts on his first day.
When he saw his clothes nearby that had already dried from the sun, he felt a sense of relief that summer had almost arrived, which was quite beneficial.
Hikaru put on his clothes and decided to return home. While on his way through the market, he noticed a restaurant known as Ramen Ichiraku, a famous place that the main character in the story enjoyed eating at. Hikaru had walked past many times before but had never visited this place.
Hikaru stood still for a moment before deciding he was going to try it today.
As he entered the shop, he noticed a man of working age serving as a chef, a smile adorning his face as he turned to greet the new customer. Additionally, another customer was enjoying his meal from a nearby seat.
The atmosphere inside was quite simple but felt very authentic. Hikaru took a seat and read the wall menu. He recalled the main character's favorite ramen dish and decided to try it.
"One serving of Miso Tonkatsu Ramen, please." Hikaru looked at the chef with a certain expectation as he spoke.
The chef, named Teuchi, only nodded with a smile, telling him to wait a moment, and started cooking the ramen dish he ordered.
Hikaru was quite surprised when the food appeared in front of him after a brief wait. It looked absolutely delicious—the food and the aroma. He would totally give it a five-star rating right away just for the appearance.
Hikaru said his thanks as he started eating his meal. 'Let's taste the soup first.' He then took a spoon and gently stirred the soup before scooping some and tasting it. As his tongue started to distinguish its taste, he suddenly felt goosebumps.
'It's delicious! No wonder Naruto always comes to this ramen restaurant.' Hikaru pondered as he took more bites of the ramen noodles and meat.
"How is it? Are you enjoying the ramen?" After watching Hikaru start to eat, Teuchi, the chef, began questioning him.
"It's really good. It's even better than my sister's cooking." Hikaru voiced his opinion while feeling a bit sorry for his sister.
"HAHAHA..." Teuchi only laughed at his joke and happily accepted the compliment.
Suddenly, a voice from another customer nearby also spoke out to him: "I wouldn't say that to your sister if I were you."
After hearing the man's comment, Hikaru was puzzled at first, then turned to look at him more closely. He appeared to be middle-aged, with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail, dressed in traditional Japanese attire in a bluish color, and bearing scars that resembled a cross on his left cheek.
He looks similar to a character from another famous manga he had read, Rurouni Kenshin, just without red hair and much older.
Hikaru tried to remember if he had known the person before, but nothing crossed his mind.
'Perhaps another cannon fodder guy in the story.' Hikaru thought, blinking in puzzlement before responding, "Um... excuse me, do you happen to know my sister?"
"Of course, I know your sister." The middle-aged man said, glancing at him, "No other food stalls are as popular as hers on the street these days."
'That doesn't explain how he still knows I'm her brother.' Hikaru thought with a deadpan expression. 'Maybe I should've been more specific with my question.'
The chef then became interested and asked, "Oh, which one was it that you mentioned, sir?"
"The one that sells barbecue meat sticks."
"Ah!" Teuchi exclaimed as he recalled the food he had once tried: "I have tried it before; the taste is really good."
The middle-aged man happily laughed, then got up from his seat, paid for his food, and said, "I need to go now. I have some business to do."
"I'll be leaving the village for a few days." He addressed the chef, then turned to look at Hikaru before continuing, "I expect to see you again someday, kid. Be more respectful."
Before Hikaru could respond, the man had already left the restaurant in a hurry.
Feeling awkward all of a sudden, Hikaru couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed.
'What a weirdo, trying to be mysterious! He didn't even give his name.'